Jason Street finds a new passion in quad rugby
Jason is taken to the recreation center at the request of Herc. He is wheeled in and he is completely mesmerized by the sport of quad rugby. Jason had not even heard of the sport prior to his injury.
Still in his neck brace, Jason looked on from the sideline as wheelchair after wheelchair crashed into each other as each player vied for the ball. You could just see it in Jason’s eyes. He instantly fell in love with what he was seeing. It had all the physical action that he knew that he would no longer have in playing the game of football.
For the first time in what seemed forever, Jason was excited. He felt he had a reason to live. However, his enthusiasm for the game was quickly met with the warning from his physical therapist that he was not ready for any type of physical contact, much less, guys in wheelchairs violently crashing against each other. It was just too soon, according to his therapist. After all, Jason’s fusion wasn’t even healed from his recent surgery. One wrong hit could cause the fusion to sever and he could lose the use of his hands.
Jason Street ready to show off his true grit
Jason was determined to try his hand in the game of quad rugby. Almost as quickly as Jason wheels onto the court for his first taste of competitive sport since being paralyzed, his wheelchair was knocked upside down from a fellow competitor. You could hear a pin drop as everyone watched on to see if Jason was alright. Of course he was alright. He is Jason Street! Medical staff put Jason’s wheelchair back in an upright position and Jason carried on with playing the game.
Jason proved to be very good at quad rugby. The game was helping him resume his sense of normalcy. Jason was getting stronger by the day and quad rugby was helping him regain use of his hands. Herc and the rest of the team were very impressed with Jason’s quick progress of the game. So impressed with his game that he received an invitation to the quad rugby training camp in Austin, Texas! And he will be vying for the opportunity to win one of four spots on the roster to go play on the next Olympic teams in Beijing, China.
Jason Street shows out at the quad rugby training camp
Jason and Herc set out on a cold and icy day in Dillon and made their way to Austin for training camp. Herc promised Jason that it would be the most grueling two weeks of Jason’s young wheelchair life. Their experience got off to a rocky start as the two were late and then felt the wrath of Coach Gumby.
Training camp is one thing. But it would also be a time to party for the team. This is also where it proved to be the beginning of the end for Jason and his girlfriend, Lyla. Lyla made a surprise visit in which caught Jason off guard and put Jason’s quest to party on ice.
While visiting Jason in Austin, Lyla discovered Jason had received a tattoo from a pretty lady that was beginning to spend time with Jason. Lyla would begin to panic and question Jason’s devotion to their relationship. At the time, Jason was already feeling the burn of Lyla’s affair with Jason’s best friend, Tim.
Lyla returned home as Jason continued training camp. He was very impressive and drew praise from his coaches. However, coaches decided that Jason was not yet ready to make the giant leap and be a part of the team that would travel overseas to Beijing.
The night of the announcement of players who would be going to Beijiing, Jason confessed to Herc how much he needed this. He was very depressed that he wasn’t picked to be part of the team. Herc explained that this wasn’t therapy. And no matter how much he needed this, he just wasn’t comfortable enough in the wheelchair to be competing.
Little Suzy Q plays with Jason Street’s emotions
Seeing a golden opportunity, Suzy, the tattoo artist, offered Jason a ride home back to Dillon so that he wouldn’t have to stay and endure watching the team continue with training camp. It was obvious that she was into Jason and wanted a chance to spend more one on one time with Jason.
During the ride back to Dillon, Suzy offered to show Jason a tourist attraction. The attraction was named Stone Hedge ll. It was at this site that Jason began telling Suzy of the rocky relationship between he and Lyla and that he had asked Lyla’s hand in marriage, even though she had cheated on him.
Jason and Suzy began sharing a kiss after Jason confessed how easy it was for him to confide in her. This would stir all emotions for Jason and complicate matters for his and Lyla’s future.